Posted on 08/14/2006 7:48:51 PM PDT by mdittmar
Shortly after 9/11, President Bush described and later retracted our fight against terrorism as a "crusade." In his first news conference after last week's thwarted terrorist plot to blow up several aircrafts the president said, " This nation is at war with Islamic fascists."
The use of the phrase "Islamic fascists" has drawn the ire of the American Muslim community. As Muslims, we use "Islamic ethics" to mean ethics based on Islamic teachings that guide our behavior. Similarly, "Islamic art" draws its inspiration from Islamic teachings that discourage certain types of art (immodest imagery or certain life forms). When the president uses "Islamic fascists," it conveys that fascism is rooted in Islam or fascism that is inspired by Islam. This is the way the Muslims will see it, regardless of what George W. Bush may claim he really means.
Bush, on an earlier occasion, said Islam is a religion of peace. Now, caving into extreme right-wing pressure, he equated the religion of peace with the ugliness of fascism. Such rhetoric contributes to fear and backlash against American Muslims. A recently released Gallup poll shows four out of 10 Americans feel "prejudiced" against Muslims.
"Prejudice" against Islam and Muslims allowed politicians to whip up a frenzy in rejecting the approval of a Dubai firm to operate U.S. ports. Conservative columnist David Brooks wrote, "But it is certain that the xenophobic hysteria will come back to harm the U.S. This (Middle East) is a region in the midst of traumatic democratic change. The strongest argument the fundamentalists have is that they are engaged in a holy war against the racist West, which imposes one set of harsh rules on Arabs and another set of rules on everybody else. Now comes a group of politicians to prove them gloriously right."
Scholarly writings are delving deeper into the root causes of suicide terrorism. Robert Pape in his book "Dying to Win" uses more than two decades of data to show the paucity of connection between suicide terrorism and any religion. The pioneering instigators and the largest purveyors of suicide terrorism are the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, a Marxist-Leninist group whose members are overwhelmingly Hindu.
Pape writes: "From Lebanon to Israel to Sri Lanka to Kashmir to Chechnya, the sponsors of every campaign have been terrorist groups trying to establish or maintain political self determination by compelling a democratic power to withdraw from a territory they claim." Occupation is the primary motivator and religion, at best, is an "aggravating" factor.
Today we all live in fear of terrorism. Equating terrorism with Islam makes the mainstream Muslim community doubly vulnerable to both the random acts of terror and the ensuing backlash.
In these trying times it is important our nation stands united. Muslims form an important part of the fabric of America. We are law-abiding citizens who have always been dedicated to the protection of our national security. We should not be targeted or singled out because of our faith. Nor should our faith be equated with the evils of terrorism or fascism. We do not control or have say over the actions of shadowy terrorist groups. But as taxpayers we certainly have a right to petition and expect our own to government do everything in its powers to protect us by all means, including avoiding counterproductive rhetoric.
A recent policy brief by the Stanley Foundation states that Western powers "should not focus on the religious and cultural divisions between East and West when approaching this issue (of terrorism), as this plays into the existing grievances of Arab and Muslim populations and creates a sense of clash between civilizations, all of which hinder the resolution of differences."
An attempt to institutionally and rhetorically dissociate Islam from terrorism is imperative.
Parvez Ahmed is chairman of Council on American-Islamic Relations. CAIR is the United States' largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group. To find out more about CAIR go to: www.cair.com E-mail: pahmed@cair.com.
Boo frickin' hoo, Parvez. What a bunch of whining crybabies.
"Scholarly writings are delving deeper into the root causes of suicide terrorism. Robert Pape in his book "Dying to Win" uses more than two decades of data to show the paucity of connection between suicide terrorism and any religion."
Holy moly , this Pape must be some kind of mental contortionist. Either that or the two decades of data he's using were somtime before 615 AD.
Then you should take your family and go back to that paradise of Sharia Law from whence you came.
The USA should ban Islam on the grounds that it is a political system seeking to undermine the US Constitution and deport every last one. Maybe send the illegals to the same place as well.
SHI'ITE!
I didn't know being beheaded, raped, stoned, hijacked and blown up was due to "right wing" pressure..
Pound sand, Parvez. Please do it over there. You are not adding to the great fabric of this nation. CAIR is morally bankrupt.
That's real shame, it should have showed 99.9% of Americans are prejudiced against muslims.
If they had polled me I would have asked if they have a category for EXTREME prejudice. IMO holding extreme prejudice against fanatic moon god worshipers who want to see me dead and in hell is fully justified.
Islamic ethics is killing all the infidels first.
I agree with you wholeheartedly -- if you do not want to be here to be Americans FIRST, with your loyalty to America and Americans first and foremost, then get the hell out and go back to the tar pit that you came from.
nope, it's between civilization and barbarism.
Good!
I guess they would really be pissed off of Bush had used the more accurate term "islam" to describe who we are at war with.
It's time to subject TROP to the dreaded panties!
Blow it out your arse Akbar
Well if we say "white supremicists" it is not a condemnation of all white people. If we say "black gangs" it is not a condemnation of all blacks. They need to work on study of English rather than be offended by a simple phrase. Are they claiming people who blow up airplanes are not fascists?
And that's exactly right in this case at least, and a case could be made that it's true generally!
You have apparently bought the anti-Christian propaganda of the type that is spread far and wide by the MSM and false "Christian" organizations such as the apostate World Council of Churches. Koresh and Jones were no more "Fundamentalist" Christians than Hitler was. In fact they were not Christians of any variety, they were evil demon-cultists who took advantage of ignorant, and/or mentally handicapped, and/or desperately mixed up people who trusted them with their lives, money, and children.
"Fundamentalist Christian" is NOT supposed to be a pejorative term, and it doesn't by any stretch of the English language describe cultists like those two child rapists and murderers you mentioned. It simply describes Christians who believe and practice the FUNDAMENTAL tenets of the Christian faith. The operative word is "fundamental", get it? You know, as in the FUNDAMENTALS of the Gospel of Christ that Christians believed and practiced a century ago before the majority of the mainstream so-called "Christian" denominations became radicalized into socialist/leftist/anti-American organizations that reject the biblical Gospel of Christ in favor of an un-biblical, politically correct, "feel good", social gospel.
Sorry to have to pick on you, you probably don't realize how the term "fundamentalist" has been so grossly misused by the MSM to disparage and ridicule biblical Christianity. I am simply tired of seeing and hearing faithful Christians who I love and respect being ridiculed by use of a perfectly good descriptive word that has been transformed into a derisive, derogatory, catch-all epithet that is now applied to anyone who still believes the Gospel of Christ as set forth in the New Testament.
Besides that it's late, I have a headache, and I'm a grumpy old man to boot.
I agree...I suggest giving them to Joe Arpio (sp) in AZ...he could have them living in tents in 120 degrees wearing pink undies..and busting rocks, dodging scorpions, rattle snakes, green Mojaves, etc..could be a busy time for them just staying alive.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.